The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-02
THE HUMAN FACE.
CHARACTERISED MEN AND
WOMEN'S FEATURES.
The Couitenance an Interesting but
Underlined Source of knowledge
Facial Proportions-Animal
Resemblance to Faces.

There is no book in the world so enter
tanning as a human face. Pretty OF
homely, intelligent or opaque, there is
never-ending curiosity about it and what
it may reveal. There are so many con-
tradictions, suggestions, disappoint-
ments, and surprises alike such wealth
of undiscovered qualities and such bar
reuness of qualities sought. The face
may be ideal according to poet and
sculptor, yet void and unattractive,
while some snub- -nosed little brunette,
with not regular line in her physiogo'
my, will bewitch every man she meets.
LAS stupid as an acre of face can
make him." was witty woman's de-
scription of dull man. She meant that
the blank surface of his countcnance
gave one the impression Of space, proba-
Div be, ause the landmarks were not so
distributed as to create expression.
The most impo tant point is the pro
portion of the features. If you look at
the ideal head in full face you will see
that the line passing through the center
of both eyes div .dcs the head exactly in
the middle, giving, for the incest posi-
BILE balance, as much height below as
above.
Next, every feature and every trait
should be entirely in harmony with the
rest, all expressing the same meaning.
1t is not enough that one portion is made
according to artistic canons-a tine nose,
a beautiful mouth, poetic forehead,
noble throat and chin; but the entire
face should correspond with its most
striking and perfect feature, if not IN
contour at least in significance. Physl-
ognomists have tried too much to sepa-
rate qualities, to locate certain attributes
in certain parts, where it is as much the
relation of nv one to the whole that
should be studied in determining char
acter. The whole is in every part.
The two most important lines in every
face are those which represent the cleft
OF the mouth and the contour of the
upper eyelld. They are always horizon
tai. and horizontal lines are signs of sta
bility and persistence. 1t has been as
serted by careful observers that there are
more good foreheads and eyes than good
mouths and chins. If that be true men
have the advantage over women, because
q beard can cover the defective line of
chin and the mustache can hide the
pnched or sen 'ual lips.
Small mouths have been likened to
rosebuds, but it is the broad, flexible,
histrionic mouth, after all, that has the
most meaning in it. A certain form OF
the upper lip called ''Cupid's bow" is
considered very beautiful. The center
of its upper line comes down to sharp
point, and the center of its under line
comes also into q point, rather less sharp,
and forming Little ball or drop that
sometimes delicately clasps the lower
lips, frequently hangs loose above it and
parted from it. From these two points
the lines sweep away on either side in
two pairs of ogee curves. Painters are
never satisfied without this kind Of a
mouth, and actresses initiate it with
their rouge. Some one has said: "Na-
ture makes the other features, but the
individual is responsible for his mouth"
which would seem to be true, as in chill
dren the mouth is entirely expresSionlcss
and ungoverned, while the eyes reveal
the feelings.
If the upper head expresses the intelli-
Sence of man, the lower one reveals
the measure of his strength. The move
able features, or the ones that have most
to do with passing changes of thought
and feeling, are the nostrils, eyes and
brows. Mrs. Siddons and John Kemble,
both representing very high order of
beauty, had very expressive nostrils.
Tie class of muscles that operate them
were in both especially powerful.
The eyes are the tellers OF secrets, and
their language is quite as we'll under
stood as that of the tongue. They are
armed with the most potent of human
weapons-tear>.
The inner extremity of the eyebrow is
a very expressive feature; there is as
much menace in it as in clinched fist.
Who has not noticed the resemblance
to animals in human faces? 1t was said
that George Eliot looked like horse,
Goethe like a lion, aud Carlyle like a
grizzly bear. There are plenty of human
birds. Tnoreau had an actual bird wild
ness about him. His high nose was like
a beak and his eyes had the alertness and
clearness of the woods creatures. Wo-
men are sometimes called hens, from
their narrow range of ideas and their
fussy cackling ways. Among them. too,
are many cats-soft, purring things who
love warm corners and caresscs aud dain-
ty food, and who move with silent,
stealthy steps.
Pesides these we see among human
types the dog and the donkey, the sheep
and the hog, the squirrel and the rat.
It is fortunate for both men and wo-
men that US years rob them of the beauty
of color and contour they add by the
delicate gravure of character, line upon
line. pencil point upon peucil-point, the
histoiE of the souls progress. Every
mark tells something OF the inner history,
and he would be great indeed who could
gather mans multiform passions and ex-
periences, label each with its properly
certified tag, assign it its place in face Or
figure, and then say: "Behold my exact
science. physiognomy"- Chicago Nea's.